A Series of Fortunate Valentines
by Sin-t-a-h
Summary: Betty and Reggie make a friendly pact to send each other valentines. Little did they know where it would take them.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: A Series of Fortunate Valentines**

**By: sintah**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Archie. I make no profit from this story.**

**A/N: ****I am reposting Eight Valentines Part 1 as the first chapter of A Series of Fortunate Valentines, with a few minor changes. **

**Chapter 1**

**February 12th**

"That's it, Archie!" Betty said, trying to hold back tears, "I've had enough. Just go to Veronica like you are obviously dying to, and don't come running back to me when she gets bored of you!"

Archie opened and shut his mouth a few times. They were standing at the doorway of Pop Tate's chocolate shop. Choosing to tell Betty that he had to cancel their date for the day after tomorrow in this spot was a bad idea. Everybody inside were watching them. Archie could see Reggie's smirk and Jughead's detached disapproval at the way he was ditching Betty once again to take Veronica to the Valentine's Day dance. Archie decided it was time to clear out. Ronnie was waiting for him. He knew Betty would forgive him eventually. He gave her a sheepish smile and walked away. Betty wiped her eyes and without looking at anyone, went to pick up her bag from her table. She needed to go home.

Betty was walking along Maple Street, bitterly thinking about how she was dateless for the dance. The fuchsia sweater and white skirt she wore were not enough to keep her warm in the cold February breeze that was blowing. She hugged herself as she began to walk faster. Suddenly a red car came to a stop beside her.

"Hi beautiful!" a familiar voice drawled.

"Hello Reggie." replied Betty as she looked over at the dark-haired guy behind the driving wheel of the car. Reggie Mantle, Riverdale High's self-appointed trouble-maker-in-chief and all around playboy, grinned at her. The wind had messed up his hair, making him look even more bad boyish.

"That wind is enough to freeze a seal's blood, Bets!" Reggie exclaimed. "Get in the car; I'll give you a lift."

"Thanks!" Betty said, very glad to have a chance to get out of the cold. She opened the car door and got in the seat beside Reggie, and smiled at him. "Wow, Mr. Mantle! You are giving me a lift so that I wouldn't freeze? What is it, your one good deed for this year?" she teased.

"Nonsense, Miss Cooper!" Reggie bantered back, giving her his trademark grin, "I never do anything for altruistic motives. The cold was merely an excuse for getting to drive a beauty like you."

Betty laughed. Her bad mood was vanishing. Reg was a great guy to joke around with. Somehow he always brought out this saucy side of her.

"You did a smart thing, giving Arch-idiot Andrews that ass-kicking.", Reggie said, keeping his eyes on the road, "Just hoping that you can keep the resolution to not take him back when Ronnie ditches him."

Betty sighed. This is not the first time Reggie had pointed out to her what a total waste of space Archie Andrews was and advised her to lose him for good. Not that Betty did not appreciate the justice of his words. By now she knew Archie and she would never really happen. It was time to outgrow her Archie obsession. Pretty soon they would all be leaving for college anyway; she knew she did not want them to part with unresolved issues.

"You can take it from me," Reggie said again, "that a girl who is always available is not very attractive to guys."

"I know, Reg!" Betty uttered in exasperation. "It's just, it would be such a big change, deciding to let go of Archie! I would have to figure out everything in my life all over again!"

"You'd have plenty of time to figure it all out, Bets." Reggie laughed. "Right now, you can just enjoy yourself; stop being a goody-goody, live a little."

"I am not a goody-goody!" Betty playfully smacked him on the arm. "And anyway, how can I enjoy myself when I don't have a date to the Valentine's Day dance?"

"You don't need a date to go to the dance. It's a lot more fun to go with a bunch of friends and have a blast. That way you can dance and flirt with anyone. Me, Dilton, Chuck and Nancy are gonna hit the bash together. You should come."

"YOU don't have a date?" Betty stared at Reggie incredulously. Reggie never had a shortage of dates; his dark-haired good looks and devilish charm made him very desired among girls. "What happened, ran out of your magic mouthwash or something?"

"I decided not to ask anybody. Taking any of my casual dates to the Valentine's dance can make them think I am serious."

"Reggie Mantle, you are abominable!" Betty exclaimed.

"I try." Reggie replied grinning.

"Is it because Ronnie is going with Archie?"

"Good god, no! I didn't even ask her. Bets, you mustn't think I am hung up on Ron. Yeah sure, she is supposed to be the greatest prize in the dating market around here, so its fun to be seen with her. That's all there is to it."

"Okay, okay!" Betty laughed. "The Great Mantle doesn't become whipped by any female; I got it!"

"Anyway, are you gonna come to the dance with us?" The car had come to the front of the Cooper residence. Betty opened the door and got out.

"Yeah, I think so. Shall I ask Jughead and Ethel to join us too?"

"Sure, if you can make Juggie bestir himself enough to come." Betty laughed and waved goodbye as she began to walk towards her door.

**February 13th **

"Come on, Juggie! It would be fun." Ethel crooned, "We can all go together."

"I don't wanna go to a dance." said Jughead, as he shoved most of a hamburger in his mouth.

"There will be some nice food," Betty told him, "Cakes, pastries..."

Jughead looked at her as he swallowed his food. "Hmm. Well, I guess I can martyr myself for a few hours for that kind of food."

"YES!" said Ethel. They were at the Chocklit Shoppe. Ethel, Betty and Jughead were sitting at the counter. Moose and Midge and Chuck and Nancy were dancing to the music playing. Reggie was flirting with a pretty blonde called Sandra; Dilton was watching them, hoping to pick up a few tips. Archie and Veronica were not present. Jughead had told Betty earlier that they had a heavy date at Ronnie's house. Betty stopped herself from sighing. She must not dwell on it. She was determined to enjoy her life at this moment.

Sandra was saying she had to run an errand. When she was gone, Reggie came over to his friends. "Dilt, instead of sitting around and watching other guys do it, you should go talk to some girls yourself."

Dilton mumbled that he could not do it.

"Yes, you can. There's a cute girl over there. Just go and say hi."

"She would tell me to get lost."

"So what if she does? You try, you fail, and you try again. That's the rule of the game."

Between Reggie, Betty and Ethel, they made Dilton get up and go talk to the girl. They watched as he went over and shyly began to talk to her. "Dilly is sweet." thought Betty. Ethel went back to sit beside Jughead. Reggie grinned at Betty.

"How's the whole getting over Archie thing going on?" he asked teasingly.

"Okay, I guess. But I have just realized that I am probably not gonna receive any valentines tomorrow!"

"What do you mean?"

"Every year, Archie sends me a valentine. Of course, he sends something much nicer to Ron, but I at least get a small bunch of flowers or something. This year, I don't know if I would get a single card, let alone flowers and candies!"

"Humph. What's the point of sending valentines anyway?"

"Oh come on! Telling someone that they are amazing? Letting them know someone appreciates them?"

"Well, in that case girls should send valentines to guys too. A guy also needs to know that he is awesome! Can you believe that nobody has ever sent me a valentine? ME, the Great Mantle?"

"Well, you think yourself pretty awesome already!" They both laughed.

Reggie said, "Hey, how about this? This year, let's you and I send each other valentines. That would be fun!"

"Not a bad idea." Betty laughed, "That's a surefire way to know we would be getting something!" At this moment Dilton came back to them smiling.

"I talked to her!" he whispered.

"Well done, Dilly!" said Reggie, trying not to laugh at his childlike glee.

"Her name is Wendy. She is a junior. I asked her to come to the dance with us. She said yes!"

"Way to go, man!" Reggie slapped him on the back.

"She seems very nice, Dilton.' said Betty. Dilton beamed. "I gotta go now. See you kids later." Betty said bye to everyone and walked out. She had some shopping to do.

**February 14th **

Betty laughed at the card she had received. It had a picture of Scooby Doo on the front. Inside it read, _Shaggy is cool, Velma is true, but Scooby is awesome_, _and so are you!_ A box containing a glass heart and a tube of glue accompanied it. The card inside the box read, _Hearts are fragile things; if your heart gets broken, mend it with the miracle cure in the tube. Happy Valentines Day. RM._

Betty picked up the phone and dialed Reggie's cell phone number.

"Hello Reg!"

"Hi, Betty! Did you get my valentine?"

"I sure did!" Betty replied, trying not to burst into laughter. "That card? And the glue? _Very_ thoughtful!"

"That little box of Turkish delight you sent me with _Reggie You Are Soo Cool, I Freeze Every time I Look at You _written on the card was real classy too!" Reggie said chuckling.

"Thank you, Reggie."

"Thank _you_, babe."

As Betty put down the receiver, she thought that this just having fun and enjoying every moment thing was going to be kind of easy. They were going to have a blast at the dance tonight.

******* FINISH********


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: A Series of Fortunate Valentines**

**By: sintah**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Archie. I make no profit from this story.**

**Chapter 2**

**February 9**

**The_veronica_lodge: **Hiii Bettykins! Long time, no chat!

**I_m_betty_n_I_keep_losing_my_pens: **HI RON! 3 3

**The_veronica_lodge: **luv ur screen name :D

**I_m_betty_n_I_keep_losing_my_pens: **LOL, R all my classmates pen-stealers? I always keep losing them :o

**The_veronica_lodge: **apart from that, how's college?

**I_m_betty_n_I_keep_losing_my_pens: **great J I 3 Michigan. The classes r awesome

**The_veronica_lodge: **Hope Archiekins n Juggie r having as much fun in NYU! Its so great u r studying journalism, like u always wanted to J

**I_m_betty_n_I_keep_losing_my_pens: **yeah… J

**The_veronica_lodge: **how r ur roommates? U getting along alright with them? I can't even imagine sharing living space with someone *shudders*

**I_m_betty_n_I_keep_losing_my_pens: **lol I kno rich girl :D My roommates r kool. One of them is this redhead called Roxy, she loves to objectify men and is great fun to hang out with. She has made this resolution to date all the guys in the football team before semester ends LOL. The other is Ariel, reads books all night and can never get to class on time :D

**The_veronica_lodge: **well if they give u any trouble, u just tell me. I'll have daddy fix them J

**I_m_betty_n_I_keep_losing_my_pens: **ha ha thanx so much for ur kind offer, but no need to do that. I am starting to think it was a good thing u decided on seeing Europe instead of going 2 college

**The_veronica_lodge: **of course it was. Like I said, I don't yet kno what I wanna do with life so there's no point going 2 college yet. Also, I believe I can learn more about the world from traveling than from books n professors

**I_m_betty_n_I_keep_losing_my_pens: **hmm. how's Paris?

**The_veronica_lodge: **simply FABULOUS, darling. The most sophisticated and stylish city in the world 3 3 3

**I_m_betty_n_I_keep_losing_my_pens: **u r so lucky, girl! U r living ur dream

**The_veronica_lodge: **of course I m. I kno how to make my dreams come true :D

**I_m_betty_n_I_keep_losing_my_pens: **sooo, how many sexy French guys have u dated ? ;)

**The_veronica_lodge: **now now, betty dear, u kno a lady never kisses and tell ;)

**The_veronica_lodge: **but I can tell u that I have a date with a very distinguished socialite on Valentine's day J

**I_m_betty_n_I_keep_losing_my_pens: **that's so exciting Ron! What's his name?

**The_veronica_lodge: **Camille d'Evron. And he is as gorgeous as he is rich and stylish

**I_m_betty_n_I_keep_losing_my_pens: **OMG *swoons*

**The_veronica_lodge: **I kno ! :D 3 3 3 BTW, what happened with that cute guy u told me about? The one who asked u out?

**I_m_betty_n_I_keep_losing_my_pens: **Jasper. He studies literature. We have been going out for the past 3 months J

**The_veronica_lodge: **fe fi fo fum, I smell romance :D Soo is it getting serious?

**I_m_betty_n_I_keep_losing_my_pens: **I don't kno Ron *blushes* He is so sweet

**The_veronica_lodge: **what r ur plans for valentines?

**I_m_betty_n_I_keep_losing_my_pens: **Jasper and I are going for a moonlight picnic 3

**The_veronica_lodge: **cute. Remember to dress glamorously. I know it will b cold, but looking good is more important than warmth

**I_m_betty_n_I_keep_losing_my_pens: **okkk…. :D

**The_veronica_lodge: **anyway, how's the rat?

**I_m_betty_n_I_keep_losing_my_pens: **the rat? Oh u mean Reggie! :D He is the same as ever, having the time of his life, being the star athlete and playboy lol

**The_veronica_lodge: **I never knew Reg was interested in journalism! isn't it funny that he ended up going to the same uni as u!

**I_m_betty_n_I_keep_losing_my_pens: **sure is! And it's bcoz his father owns all these magazines; Reg grew up with magazines, even writing a piece or two for his dad's publications

**The_veronica_lodge: **never thought him 2 b the studying type… more the jock actually

**I_m_betty_n_I_keep_losing_my_pens: **well,his football scholarship did get him here. Football still keeps him busy, what with all the practices. Reg never does his assignments before the eleventh hour. Always turns up and asks me to help type or stuff lol

**The_veronica_lodge: **lol

**The_veronica_lodge: **oh, I got this email from Archie last week. He said he misses me so much

**I_m_betty_n_I_keep_losing_my_pens: **of course he does

**The_veronica_lodge: **I miss him too :'( Do u think some hag in his college would make him forget me?

**I_m_betty_n_I_keep_losing_my_pens: **I m sure no one can ever forget u.

**I_m_betty_n_I_keep_losing_my_pens: **I gotta go now, Ron. Got work to do.

**The_veronica_lodge: **Bye then, darling! *Hugs and kisses* Au revoir!

**I_m_betty_n_I_keep_losing_my_pens: **Bye Ron 3

**February 11**

"I'll take these three." Betty said to the book seller. She was browsing through this used book store with her friend Ariel. It was a quaint little store, with wooden walls and racks. The owner was a thin man who was known only as Tabasco.

"Oh look, Luke and Reggie are here!" exclaimed Ariel; Betty turned to see their two fellow classmates walk in; Reggie Mantle and Luke Connelly.

"Hello guys!" Betty said. The boys greeted them back.

"What are you looking for?" Betty asked.

"Just browsing. Sometimes you find a gem in these heaps of tattered books." Reggie told her; the two of them walking along a row of books. Reggie stopped and picked up a book with beautiful binding. "Look at this, illustrated copy of _Romeo & Juliet_."

"The cover art is so detailed…" Betty said taking the book from him. "This might be just the thing for a Valentine's gift for Jasper!"

"Ooo, the_ boyfriend_!" Reggie teased. "How's that going?"

"Just fine, Reg." said Betty, paying no heed to his teasing. "Do you think he would like this?"

"No idea, I am not familiar with Jason's taste." Reggie said, knowing perfectly well he was saying the wrong name.

"It's _Jasper."_

"Right, right, Jester. Got it." he smirked.

Betty laughingly elbowed him in his stomach.

"Ouch, that hurt!"

"Good." she smirked back.

**February 12**

"The prof said my POV is too cynical," Reggie told Betty in the cafeteria, "she thinks I don't want to see the beauty of things!"

"Funny," said Betty as she filled her plate, "the old hag told me that I am a such a dreamer, that it's almost impossible for me write anything realistically."

"She would be surprised if she knew how much beauty I see actually," Reggie smirked, "I see beauties all the time!"

"No doubt," Betty chuckled, "you are a real connoisseur of beauty."

"Speaking of which, the football team found out about Roxy McQueen's new year resolution. Now they have chosen me to fulfill a counter one: date all the cheerleaders before term ends."

"Count yourself fortunate that I was too busy to try out for cheerleading this year, or you would have failed to keep that resolution."

"Hah, you think you're immune to the charm of the Great Mantle? I could have you if I wanted to."

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that, funny face…"

"Admit it, Cooper, you want me…"

"In your dreams, Mantle."

**February 14**

Betty opened her door and sighed when she saw who had knocked.

"Reg, I can't read through your article now," she began. "I've got a date tonight…"

"No article." Reggie interrupted her. He produced a parcel and a small posy of little white flowers from behind his back. "Happy valentine's day, Grumpy pants!"

"Wow, thanks, Reggie!" Betty cried in surprise, not having expected this at all. "Are we still doing that valentines thing? You should have clued me in! I would have gotten you something."

"It's no biggie, girlie," Reggie told her laughing. "I just found this book in Tabasco's that day and thought you'd like it."

"Thanks again, Reg," she said as she took the flowers and the book from him. "You know what, it's only three o' clock, I _am _gonna get you a gift!"

"Sure, if you want to," Reggie replied, leaning against her doorframe. "I would not mind some baked goodies, you know…." he hinted heavily.

"Alright, boy-o, I'll bake you a chocolate cake, a heart-shaped one!" Betty said, "It would take about an hour. Why don't come in and wait?"

When they were both inside, Betty opened the parcel and found an old book. The cover was a little faded, but the book was still in great condition. It was called _Talking Flowers._

"It's a book about the language of flowers." Reggie explained as he sat down in a big comfortable chair, "It tells you what every flower means, the symbolism, origin of that symbolization, etc."

"That's beautiful! I've read how flower language were widely cultivated in the Victorian era." Betty said as she turned the old pages fascinated. The flowers were listed alphabetically, with colorful pictures beside every entry. "So what do these flowers you got me mean?"

"These are baby's breath," he replied, "They mean happiness, joy and innocence of spirit."

"That's so sweet, Reg!" Betty threw her arms around him and placed a light kiss on his lips. "Thank you so much!"

"Well, if you truly want to thank me, you should get started on that cake." Reggie said with a grin.

"Ok, ok, Shylock…"

"And…come to think of it, I might need some clothes laundered…"

"Don't push your luck!"

_X_


	3. Chapter 3

**Title: A Series of Fortunate Valentines**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Archie. I make no profit from this story.**

**Chapter 3**

**February 8**

Rrrrring!

"…Hello?"

"Reg? Are you sleeping?"

"Yes, Bets, I am sleeping! What the hell were you thinking, calling so late and waking me up?"

"It's only eleven now! Never thought I'll see you turning in so early. Don't you have a party to go to?"

"I have had practice every friggin' day this week, I had to hand in Mr. Balthazar's assignment this morning, and I really wish you'd stop yapping and let me go back to sleep now!"

"Whoa, okay, chill, Mantle, I get that you had a busy week…"

"Busy? Huh! Betty, I have to work my ass off to stay in the team. We have the Ohio game coming up; Coach Hoke won't keep anyone who's not at the top of his game. And I have to find time to do all my work, and do it well, 'cause that's what I am here for, to get an education!"

"Oh! I am sorry, Reg…You feeling too rushed, huh?"

"I just…I've been having some trouble with time management, juggling everything - classes, practice, homework, dates…."

"You know I am always here to help you with work, don't you?"

"Yeah, you've been a great pal, Bets. Thanks."

"Oh, you help me with work too; you get a lot of good ideas…"

"Yeah… Well, anyway, why did you call, Bets?"

"Oh, right! I got a call from Archie, and guess what, he and Juggie are coming to visit, this weekend!"

"Wow, old Carrot-top and Spindle-snoot coming here! What joy!"

"Oh shut up, Mantle, you know you'll be happy to see them!"

**February 10**

"Juggie!" Betty screamed and threw herself in the arms of tall, lanky Jughead Jones, who had just scrambled out of Archie's old battered Jalopy.

"Hey, Bets." Jughead said, patting her on the back awkwardly. "Don't crush my ribs, now."

Archie got out of the driving seat, grinning ear-to-ear.

"Hi, Betty! How's my favorite girl?"

Betty released Jughead and hugged Archie, gripping the back of his blue sweatshirt.

"Arch! Good to see you!"

After they came down from the excitement of seeing their lifelong friends again, they walked to an ice-cream place and sat down under a giant red and white umbrella and ordered three hot fudge sundaes.

"Well, what's new with you guys?" Betty asked, "Still keeping up the women-hating thing, Jug?"

Jughead made a non-committal sound and started on his fudge. Archie gave a huge cackle and leaned towards Betty.

"Old buttoned-up Jughead Jones have been hooking up with random chicks this whole year, Bets!" he said conspiratorially. "Just the wham, bam, thank you, ma'am routine! No involvements."

Jughead gave Archie a reproachful look and turned to Betty, who was looking equally awed and horrified.

"I have been with only a few girls, and I make it perfectly clear that I am not looking for anything serious. _I_ am not cheating or leading anyone on." This last sentence was said with a sideways glance at Archie, who apparently did not notice it.

"I have been dating this freshman called Mercia and man, oh man, is she hot!" Archie told Betty. "I have been seeing her for only a few weeks though. Before that I went out with Jamie Black."

"That's great, Archie. Sounds like you are enjoying college." Betty calmly said, feeling a distant pang at Archie's insensitivity.

"Tell us about you, Betty Cooper," Jughead interrupted, "What have you been doing?"

"Oh, you know, classes, the baseball team, parties…."

"I bet you have a great number of guys after you." Jughead said heartily. Archie looked up from his sundae and stared at Betty.

"Well, at the moment I am seeing a junior called Dexter Maynard," Betty casually told them, imitating Archie's bragging a moment ago. "Before that I dated Jasper, Heinrich …."

Archie gave an almost inaudible snort and turned the subject.

"How is Mantle the Mouth doing?" he asked. "Does he know we are here?"

"Oh yeah, he's supposed to meet us here, as soon as his practice ends."

"How has he been playing this year?" Archie asked, "Doing okay?"

"I have been playing awesomely, Andrews, as is expected of me." drawled the voice of Reggie Mantle. They all looked up to see the football player, wearing a Wolverine jersey, smirking down at them.

"Well, isn't it Mantle the Magnificent!" Jughead said, looking at him through half-closed eyes.

"The Great Mouth himself!" said Archie.

"Nice to see you too, Carrot-top." Reggie mocked. "How's it going, Jughead?"

The three boys shook hands.

"Did you guys drive here?" Reggie asked as he sat down. "Not in that old heap of junk of yours?"

"Yeah, in my old trusted Betsy." Archie replied proudly.

"Well, I am surprised you are still not stuck somewhere in New Jersey, pushing the car!"

"Oh, we did have to push it twice and stop for a new plug once." Jughead said, oblivious to Archie's glare.

"It's about time you ditched that antiquated thing, Arch." Reggie said, as he called a waitress with gesture of his hand.

"I like Betsy the way she is," Archie bristled. "I could have found something else if I wanted, but I am not gonna ditch her after all the service she had given me!"

Betty decided to intervene before a quarrel began.

"Alright, guys, what are we gonna do today? I say we go rowing!"

**February 12**

"We had a great time, Ron!" Betty told her friend on the phone, "It was great fun hanging out with Arch and Jug again. But we missed you a lot."

"You better have!" Veronica said, "I am so mad you guys had fun without me. Now I wish I was in America. Well, not really! 'cause it's amazing here…." She went on about her glamorous life in Paris for a few minutes.

"Well, anyway, when did Archie and Juggie leave?" she asked.

"Yesterday afternoon. I don't know if Archie's car is up to such a long drive again!"

"He so needs to get a new one! It used to be so embarrassing going out with him in that old thing." Veronica said with disgust in her voice. "Anyway, I had to break up with Sven because I want to go out this older guy I met at Mia's party…."

"Sven? Wait, I thought you were dating Carmelo?"

"Camille? Huh, that's history now, Bettykins. I ditched him ages ago. Can you believe, he took me to the Mayor's banquet in a secondhand Rolls Royce?"

Betty had to stifle her laughter at Veronica's aggrieved tone.

**February 13**

Betty threw her bag down on Reggie's bed and plopped down beside it.

"Hey Reg," said she. "Sorry I am late; I was talking to Dex about our plans tomorrow…."

"What, that serial killer boyfriend of yours?" Reggie asked from the big chair in front of his desk, papers strewn all around him.

"For the last time, his name is Dexter Maynard, not Dexter Morgan!"

"Still, the look in his eyes is rather sinister…." Reggie teased.

"Keep it up, that will make me want to help you with your work, wise guy!"

"Uh, okay, dear old Dex is the nicest guy the world, Bets! He makes Mahatma Gandhi look violent."

"That's better," Betty said, flicking him on the nose. "Now, how far are you on the introduction?"

They worked on both their assignments for hours. It was after midnight when Betty threw down her pen and stretched.

"Well, I'm bushed."

"Let's call it a night, Bets. We've done a lot already." Reggie said with a yawn.

Betty picked up her bag and opened it.

"It's a quarter past twelve, so it's now Valentine's Day. I might as well give you your present now."

"Oh you've got me something?" Reggie perked up, "Glad you remembered this year. Something good, I hope…"

"I think you'll like it…" Betty pulled out a wrapped box from her bag and dropped it on his lap. "Here, Happy Valentine's Day, Reggie."

Reggie quickly ripped the paper, opened the box and looked at the object inside. It was a silver hourglass, about twelve inches long. He took it out and put it on the palm of his hand; now he realized that the sand inside was actually hundreds of tiny red hearts; the hearts began to fall, as the hourglass stood on his hand.

"Wow, that's a nice piece, Bets! mushy, but beautiful." Reggie said as he fingered the intricate ornamentation on the silver part.

"Shut up, it's not mushy! It's for marking the passage of time when you are waiting for a loved one."

"Like I said, mushy… But it's really beautiful, Bets, thanks. Is it antique?"

"Yeah, made around nineteen sixty, the salesman said." Betty said. "Now, where's my gift, Mantle?"

"You'll get it tomorrow, Shylock."

**February 14**

Betty rushed out of the ladies' washroom and went smack into someone.

"Wha… Oh, Reggie! What are doing, standing right outside the door?"

"Waiting for you, Beautiful." Reggie grinned, presenting her with a single daisy. "Happy Valentine's Day."

"Thanks, I love daisies, they always make me smile." Betty said, taking the flower. "But don't tell me that's all you've gotten me ?" she added with a mock glare.

"No, no, here," Reggie pulled out a bracelet out of his pocket and taking her hand, put it on her wrist.

"Thanks, that's pretty…" It was a thin gold bracelet, with a winged falcon on the chain.

"I am afraid it's rather generic," Reggie said, scratching his neck, "Sorry, I was so busy I forgot to get anything earlier…"

"It's really nice, Reg," Betty insisted. "Thank you."

Reggie grinned and put an arm around her shoulder.

"Let's go to class."

"Why were you waiting here to give me the valentine?" Betty asked as they walked.

"Uh, I didn't want anyone to see me doing anything Valentine related…."

"Ha, coward!" Betty said, much amused.

"Hey, I got a reputation to uphold…."

_X_


	4. Chapter 4

**Title: A Series of Fortunate Valentines**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Archie. I make no profit from this story.**

**Chapter 4**

**February 12**

"And that is why being single is so great." Reggie Mantle said to the assembled company. "No bindings, no boredom. Just freedom!"

Most of his friends cheered and clapped at his speech.

"Hear, hear!" someone yelled, "Let's drink to that!"

There were more shouted agreements and drinking.

"So…you consider relationships to be boring, Reggie?" Betty Cooper asked, as she took a beer and sat down opposite him.

"Imagine being with just one gal all the time!" Reggie gave a mock shudder, "the very idea makes me claustrophobic!"

"Or maybe," Betty told him, "you are just a scared, scared boy who has intimacy issues!"

"Heh, I am not afraid of anything, Blondie. I'd just hate to become someone like, say, Gavin over there. So whipped!"

Gavin, who had his arms around his girlfriend Anita, looked up at this.

"You're just jealous, dude!" he yelled.

"Yeah, right, so jealous of being practically a slave…."

"You should be careful, Reg," Betty regarded him thoughtfully, "You know fate has a twisted sense of humor. Someday you could become like that guy, whose friends said to him, _How dost thou, Benedick the married man_?"

"Ha, I'd never be as brainless as him! The moment he heard that girl had a thing for him, he fell for her? How stupid is that?"

Before Betty could respond, Amanda, a tall blonde, called for everyone's attention.

"Listen up, guys! Tomorrow night, the night before Valentine's, we are gonna have a Singles Only party!" the girl announced. "We're gonna dance, drink and do _anything_ _else_ we want! You know why? 'Cause we are FREE!"

"You said it, baby!" yelled the others.

"Tsk, tsk…That's just sad." said Betty to Reggie.

"Can it, Cooper, you're just jealous you're not invited!"

**February 13**

Betty Cooper stared at Dexter, her boyfriend of one year, like she could not recognize him.

"So what she said is true?" she asked in a low voice. "You slept with her?"

Dexter scratched his head and shifted his weight from one foot to another.

"It was…just for the sake of my art, Betty." he said, in what he thought a placating voice. "She was my inspiration; I had to…be with her to get that painting right. You understand how it is with an artist, don't ya…?"

"Probably not, but I sure know what it is like with a cheating, lying jerk!" Betty screamed in his face; Dexter winced at the sudden change in decibel. He was not used to Betty shouting.

"Hey, don't be like that, babe, we can work through this," he said, taking her left hand, earning him a hard slap of her right.

"Don't babe me, creep! We are over!" she spat and turning on her heels, stormed away.

"Uh, okay, _babe_, you know where to find me when you cool off!" Dexter called from behind.

By the time Betty was back in her room, it was nearly eight. She found her roommate Roxy putting on her make up, getting ready for the party.

"Betty? You back so early?" she yelled; then getting a look at Betty's face, her voice changed. "What happened?"

Betty threw her bag down on the floor and sat down on Roxy's bed heavily.

"I…I just broke up with Dexter."

Roxy rushed to sit beside her.

"Oh my god, why?"

"I found out he slept with some fresher, a model of his." Betty said in an expressionless voice.

"Why, that flea-bitten piece of ….."

Betty did not know whether she wanted to be crying or yelling. She listened silently as Roxy ranted on, calling Dexter every foul name in the English language.

Suddenly, Roxy stopped her name-calling and looked at Betty.

"Come on, get ready, you are coming to the party."

"What? The party? But…"

"It's a Singles party, and now that you are free as a bird, let's go have a wild time!" Seeing Betty's morose face, Roxy continued, "Come on, you are not going to mope around because of that creep, are you?"

"Noo…" Betty muttered; she did not want to mope. She wanted to kick Dexter where it really hurt.

"Bets, this is what this party is about. Sometimes, men suck, dating sucks, relationships suck! Wouldn't you want to give the finger to all of them and just be single for once?"

An hour later, Betty arrived at the party, accompanied by her friend. Roxy had almost forced her into a knee-length powder blue dress, did her make-up, making her eyes look extra smoky, and lent her a pair of three-inch stilettos. Betty felt simultaneously rebellious and lost.

The party was in full swing. _All The Single Ladies_ blared from the speakers. Roxy pulled Betty along with her and got them both drinks.

"Its like a candy shop…" Roxy muttered, her eyes working overtime, taking in the male scenery. Betty grinned and downed her drink quickly.

"Betty? You are here? Looking good." It was Reggie. Betty sighed and put her glass down on the table. Roxy nodded at them both and left to chat up a guy she had been eyeing.

"Didn't expect to see you here." said Reggie, the question clear in his tone.

"I broke up with Dex this evening." Betty said to Reggie, carefully keeping her voice steady. "I found out he was cheating."

Reggie looked at her for a long moment; Betty kind of thought he would start a speech about how relationships were stupid, but he did not.

"I am sorry, Bets. You okay?"

"Yeah, I am going to be. I am not gonna waste a single tear for that jerk. Tonight, I am gonna _party_!"

Reggie grinned and put an arm around her waist.

"That's the spirit, baby. Wanna dance?"

"Sure." Betty let Reggie pull her to the dance floor, taking their place among dozens of dancers. Now the DJ was playing _She's Got The Look. _Reggie twirled her around and then pulled her back towards himself. Betty giggled and matched her steps with him. Suddenly she caught a sight over Reggie's shoulder that made her stiffen.

"What's wrong, Betty?"

"He's here. Dex; gyrating and all with some girl like they are gonna do the horizontal mambo standing up!" Betty hissed, her fingers digging into Reggie's shoulder.

"Has he seen you?"

"Yeah, he is looking at me now, looks surprised…"

"Alright, don't look at him anymore. Let's make him shocked!"

"What do you have in mind?"

"Some dirty dancing!" Reggie winked conspiratorially.

After ten minutes of the most intense dancing of her life, where there was not even a millimeter gap between her and her partner's body, and they had breathed each other's carbon dioxide a lot, Betty noticed that Dexter was no longer on the floor.

"He's left," she panted, "and I need some air." Really she felt hot, weirdly hot. Reggie let her go slowly, his face was slightly flushed.

"Let's get drinks and go out in the balcony." suggested Reggie. _I really need a drink, _he thought to himself.

Betty and Reggie stood on the balcony, sipping their drinks. The night air was cooling their over-excited bodies.

"What really makes me mad is, how he thought I would just get over it." Betty said, her voice bitter. "That everything would be peachy again once I calmed down."

"He's a first-rate moron," Reggie told her firmly. "A brainless git."

"But why do guys keep thinking I am that person?" Betty cried in frustration. "That I would take all their BS? That whatever they do, I would take them back?"

Reggie sighed; he knew where this was hurting Betty. She had been so determined never to be that Betty Cooper again who let a boy treat her like a doormat for years. Now Dexter Maynard's behavior had her doubting herself, making her think she had not changed after all.

"You are not that person anymore, Bets. Maynard is a jerk. He'd cheat on whoever he is with. It's his issue, not yours."

Betty put her elbows on the railing, staring into the dark. Reggie bumped her shoulder with his.

"Hey, we could go stone his car!" he suggested.

"Thanks for the kind offer." Betty laughed and looked at him warmly. "But I would rather have a drink."

"That's the fourth glass, Betty!" Reggie said in an awed voice. "You must be a natural drinker."

Betty grinned cheekily (and a little drunkenly) and put down her glass.

"What number are you on?"

"My third glass." said Reggie.

"Let's get another couple."

**February 14th**

One o'clock in the morning saw Betty and Reggie on the dance floor again. The whole crowd was a gyrating, drunken mass, twisting and slithering. Betty giggled tipsily as they danced with the Latin music. Her back was to Reggie's chest, his arms around her waist, as they moved against each other's body. She turned in his arms, keeping up with the music, and encircled his neck. Both of them being naturally graceful dancers, they did not forget their steps even in their less than sober state. Reggie grinned at her, his eyes glazed with the effect of alcohol and the intensity of the moment.

"This is… hot…"

"Yeah, could be hotter though…." Betty giggled again

"Oh, really?"

Betty threw him a wicked smile and pulled his face down to hers. Their lips met before Reggie could register any surprise. He was not in the condition to be much shocked anyway. Betty kissed him wetly, and he kissed back. His arms tried to draw her even closer, her hands twisting into his hair. The kiss was all tongue and teeth now. Betty sucked on his bottom lip and bit down. Reggie winced and jerked away quickly.

"Ouch!"

"Oops!"

They stared at each other, then broke down in hysterical laughter.

"That was… so silly…"

"Yeah… ha ha…"

"What were we thinking?"

"We are drunk…."

"I need to lie down." Betty said. "My head is spinning…"

"Yeah, me too."

They left the dance floor and walked to a sofa. Betty dropped herself on it laid her head on a cushion. Reggie decided on the carpet, as the other sofas were already occupied by other drunken partiers. Soon both Betty and Reggie were dead to the world.

When Betty woke, she had a splitting headache and felt cramped because of sleeping on the sofa. She slowly raised her wrist to eye level and looked at her watch. It was ten in the morning. She sat up and winced as her head throbbed. Her foot struck something and she looked down to see a sleeping Reggie on the carpet. There were a few other people in the room too, all sleeping off the night's revelry.

Reggie opened his eyes as Betty's foot hit him, looking up at her face blearily.

After a moment, he grinned and then winced.

"My head…."

"Yeah, mine too."

Reggie got up from the carpet and dusted himself.

"I should go home and take a shower."

"I need a lift." Betty informed him, "Roxy got busy with some basketball player last night and left with him."

Reggie drove them straight to his place.

"Come in, I need to give you your Valentine's gift." He said.

"Oh yes, it's the 14th now." Betty realized. "Happy Valentine's Day, Reggie."

"Same to you. Come on."

Going in, they washed their faces in cold water and made themselves some strong coffee.

"I'm never getting drunk again." Betty muttered as she took a sip of her coffee.

"Everyone says that in the morning." Reggie said, winking.

"Well, where's my gift?"

"Wait, I'll get it." he said and vanished into his bedroom.

When he came back, he was carrying a potted Chrysanthemum plant in full bloom and miniature model of a sailing ship. He put them on the table in front of Betty.

"Wow, what a beautiful ship!" Betty exclaimed as she inspected it. "It's amazing. Thanks, Reggie."

"She's called _The Spirit of Adventure_." Reggie told her. "You know, to remind you that being adventurous once in a while, and not playing it quite so safe, can be fun."

"Hey, I can be adventurous!" Betty protested, "How about last night?"

"Hmm, last night…" Reggie muttered.

They looked into each other's eyes, both knowing what the other was thinking about.

"Reg, last night, umm, you remember, right?"

"Yeah…"

"We were drunk, I mean, totally drunk, and, umm, it happens, right?" Betty rambled on.

"Yeah, it happens." Reggie said, taking a long breath. "Don't worry."

"No…" Betty smiled embarrassedly. "So, we are cool?"

"Perfectly." Reggie smiled back. "More coffee?"

"Yeah, thanks." Betty said. "Hey, I have your gift back at my place. Wanna drive me home so you can collect?"

"Sure, let's finish the coffee."

"Here you are." Betty said as she gave Reggie a nicely gift-wrapped box. They were at Betty's apartment, standing in the living space.

Reggie quickly unwrapped and opened the box, eager to see his present. He found a black T-shirt with his own face printed on the front and with the words _Mantle the Magnificent _on the back.

"This is awesome!" He told her, laughing heartily. "Great idea, Bets."

"I knew it would appeal to you." she said, joining in the laughter. "I haven't heard you calling yourself that in a while though."

"Well, I am so busy being magnificent, that I don't have the time to say it."

"Uh-huh."

"I don't have to, anyway. Everyone can see it the moment they meet me."

"Shut up, Reg, you're overdoing it!"

Later, when he had left, Betty looked up _Chrysanthemum_ in the book Reggie had given her two years ago; She smiled as she read the meaning - _You are a wonderful friend._

"Same to you, Reg." she whispered under her breath.

END

A/N: I totally stole the whole _Spirit of Adventure _idea from HIMYM.


End file.
